After TV Interview-Infused Slow Play Warning, McDowell One Bad Time Away From Penalty As He Leads

Graeme McDowell holds a one-stroke lead over Victor Dubuisson heading into the finale of the Crown Prince Classic in Saudi Arabia. But as part of the European Tour’s crackdown on slow play, he faces another twist in search of his first ET win since 2014: a penalty.

Under the new guidelines recently updated after the PGA Tour announced an updated policy, McDowell’s warning earlier in the week means he’s one more away from a stroke penalty. Adding to his frustration? The warning came after doing a mid-round interview with Sky’s Tim Barter.

Brian Keogh at the Irish Golf Desk with all the details. This was particularly wild:

Under the new regulations, he could have called to the referee during his allotted time and asked for a once-per-round "time extension" and an extra 40 seconds.

"I actually jokingly called a time out after the shot because I thought he'd have given me the benefit of the doubt, but he was like, 'no, that's a bad time’,” he told reporters. “I'm like, brilliant mate!"

Feeling rushed as he played his approach on the seventh, TV cameras caught him grumbling loudly.

"Such a rush to hit this shot!" he said as he sized up his approach from the rough. "It's a joke.”

And we wonder why players are resistant to mid-round interviews. This won’t help the “product.”